Guiding means for moving sheet-metal bands



Oct. 21, 1958 f F. uNGERl-:R

GUIDING MEANS FOR MOVING SHEET-METAL BANDS Filed April 19, 1955 nitd States Patent GUIDING MEANS FOR MOVING SHEET-METAL BANDS Fritz Ungerer, Pforzheim, Germany j Application April 19, 1955, Serial No. 502,428

5 Claims. (Cl. 271-2.1)

The present invention relates to guiding means for.

moving sheet-metal bands.

It is generally known that in rolling mills thin sheetmetal is rolled-up in spiral-like fashion. When the sheet-metal is to be subjected to further treatment, it is pulled olf the roll and guided to the machine attending to the treatment.

VMachines of this kind are, of course, prepared for the Working of a certain width of band. IIf `during the winding-olf from the roll the sheet-metal gives way or yields in lateral direction, which inevitably will take place during the unwinding of large-sized rolls, or if the sheet-metal of a roll becomes telescopically dislodged, serious or irreparable damage to the band may be the natural consequence. Ilf during the edge-planing the band laterally yields in the edge-planing shears, one of the edges will be trimmed too much, and the other one too little. The result will be jagged edges of the band, and later on nonrectangular edges of the plates.

There are already known guiding means for the band, consisting of guide blocks arranged on the left and right side of themachine where the band enters the latter. Depending upon the degree of hardness of the band, these guide blocks consist of wood or metal. However, guiding means of this kind have a short lifetime, as they are sooner or later destroyed by the lo-ngitudinal edges of the sheet-metal band sliding along at them. Furthermore, there may occur at the edges of the band mechanical combinations of the material of the band and of the metal of the slide blocks, which later on may cause unpleasant phenomena of corrosion.

It has been tried to provide plate straightening machines with lateral guiding means in the way of vertically larranged guide rollers. However, these guide rollers do not produce satisfactory results. It is true that they protect the machine posts against the saw-like cutting action of the band-edges. But they do not prevent damaging of the band. For, when the band runs against these rollers, the rollers compress the sheet-metal with the result that creases are formed, or that the metal at the edges of the band is folded down or doubled up, so that the sheet-metal is rendered unsuited for use.

In order to overcome these deficiencies of known machines, the invention guides the edges of the band in re- .u \cesses provided in the links of chains participating in the movement of the band, whereby the guiding means of the invention rest against the edges lof the band through a comparatively long distance, so that the specific pressure per surface unit is a small one, and by no means powerful enough to cause buckling or doubling up of the sheet-metal. Furthermore, no Hanging or bordering is caused as in known machines provided with vertically arranged guide rollers, as the guiding means of the machine, as already mentioned, participate in the movement of the band. The two laterally moving chains provided with the guiding links for the sheet-metal edges are of the endless type and mounted each on a pair of conveying Wheels arranged at suitable distance from each other.

2,857,158 Patented Oct. 21, 1958 The wheels, which for reliable conveyance of the 'chains are of the multi-cornered type, are preferably are provided for the edges of the sheet-metal band to engage in, is preferably hardened and greased, so that wear on the links is reduced to a minimum. The chain links, which cover up the edges of the sheet-metal band on their upper and lower side, simultaneously serve as guiding means for the sheet-metal band in a direction vertical to its direction of motion. Furthermore, the construction is prefer-ably so devised that the chain-links slide in or on `supporting members suitably arranged for this purpose.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and in which an embodiment of the invention has been shown by way of example. However, I wish to say that the invention is not conned to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed or modied, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appending claims.

In the drawings, in which like parts are referred to by the same reference numerals,

Fig. l is a top-view of the guiding means for the sheetmetal band;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line Irl-II of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of one lof the links of the link-chains;

Fig. 4 isa top-view, on an enlarged scale, -of one of the link-joints; j

Fig. 5 is a side-view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the link-joints.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the reference numerals 2, 3 and 4, 5 designate the two pairs of wheels -on which the endless chains composed of links 6 and 7, respectively, are mounted. Between.. the two endless chains passes the sheet-metal band 8. The chains slide in or on elongated guide means in the form of supporting members 9 and 10. The individual links of the chains are pivotally connected to each other by means of fastening pins such as bolts 11 and connecting elements such as plates 12 (see Figs. 4 and 5). At the side facing the sheet-metal band the links are formed with jaw-like elongated slots 13 (see Fig. 3) into which the edges of the sheet-metal band 8 project. Each slot 13 narrows down to two parallel guide faces 14 and 15 for the sheetmetal band 8, whereby the depth of the recess corresponds to at least the normal jaggedness of the edges 16 of the sheet-metal band. The endless chains travel around the wheels 2, 3 and 4, S at the same speed at which the sheet-metal band moves, For this purpose the pairs of wheels may be driven in any suitable manner.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the at links 6 have opposite outer -outer faces 6a, 6b and the links 7 have opposite outer faces 7a, 7b, each of these faces defining a plane. Each link is formed in the regions of each of its ends with at least one cutout into which an end of one of the connecting elements 12 projects. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, each end of the links is formed with two such cutouts, and it will be seen that the ends of the pins which are located within these cutouts do not project outwardly beyond the planes of the link faces. Thus, the connecting means constituted by the fastening pins 11 and the connecting elements 12v are arranged entirely within the space between the planes defined by the opposite 'outer' faces of' the links 6, 7.

The drawings further show the supporting members 91A a`nd 10- as beingy formedJ with opposite'V substantially parallelv elongatedl surfaces 921,'` 915 and 10a, 10b,` rei spectively; The opposite guidesurfaces of each supL portingmember are` spaced from each" othera dista'ric'e'f correspondingl t`o1 the thicknessk of the' links' of the' respective chain so that each link is guided by the guide means. Ina'sm'uch'as the connectingtmeansv which conneet adjacent linksA to each` otlier'are' arrangedl entirely within the space between the' planes defined by the outer faces ofthelinks, thelinks andTwill fteely'slidfei onthev guide surface 9a, 9bd and'v 10a, 10b, respectively,4

without interference on` the partf offtheY connecting means;

What 'Iv claimas* new and desirel to secure by Iietters Patent of the United-States:

1. In al guide arrangement foi" guiding' sheet material, in combination, a guide'band mountedi for movement" on one side of a path along which the sheet material is to be guided, said guide band being composed of' a" series of similardat* linksand of connecting means interconnecting adjacent links, eachl of said at links having opposite outer faces defining planes'andf beingadapted to support part of one edge portion of aY sheetk materialmoving along said path and said connecting means being arranged entirely within the space between said planes defined by said opposite outer faces of saidilinks; and` elongated-guide means for guiding said guide` band and being formed with'opposite substantially parallel 'elongated guide surfaces spaced fromA each other a' distanceicorresponding to the thickness of said links, whereby whileea'ch link is* guided bysaid guide means, the oppositefac'es of such link are in sliding engagement with said'guid surfaces, respectively, without interference on the partof said connecting means.

2. In al guide arrangement'for guidingsheet material, in combination, a guide band mounted for movementl on one side of a path along which the sheetl material is to be' guided, said guide band being composed of` a series of.

similar fiat links and of connecting means interconnecting outer faces defining planes and being adapted to support part of one edge portion of `a sheet material moving along said path and said connecting means being arranged entirely within the space between said planes defined by said `opposite outer faces of said links; and elongated guide means arranged on said 4one side of said path and extending inthe direction thereof for guiding said guide band therealong, said guide means being formed with opposite substantially parallel elongated guide surfaces spaced from each other a distance corresponding to the thickness of said links, whereby while each link is on said one side of said. path, it is guided by said guide means with the opposite faces of each link being in sliding engagement with said guide surfaces, respectively, without interference on the part of said connecting means.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein each link isv-an elongated one which is formed in the region of each en'd with at least one cutout portion which eX- tends below the plane of one of said opposite outer faces of the link, and wherein each connecting means for interconnecting adjacent links includes a connecting element4 extending into the cutout portion of each link.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein each connecting means further includes at least two fasten ing pins for fastening the ends lof the connecting element, respectively, to the respective links.

5. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein each of said links is an elongated one and is formed with an elongated slot which, when the respective link is on one side of vsaid' path, opens toward the same and which lslot is adapted to receive and support a portion of the length of the sheet material.

References cited in 'the fue of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 699,133y Allis May 6, 1902 977,146 von Giahn Nov. 29, 1910 1,927,062 Conn sept. 19, 1933 2,339;761 Brume Jan. 25, 1944 

